Dom Flemons

As a resolute preservationist, storyteller, and instrumentalist, Dom Flemons has long set himself apart by finding forgotten folk songs and making them live again. Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Flemons comes from a family of civil rights leaders, Tuskegee Airmen, and preachers who were prominent figures in the Black community of Arizona. His work has been recognized with a Grammy, two Emmy nominations, a USA Fellowship Award, and inclusion in an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. For Traveling Wildfire, his first new album since 2018’s Black Cowboys, he turns to an important, overlooked voice that he’s proudly rediscovered: his own. “Knowing that I was going to be showcasing original material for a good deal of the record, I wanted to give people a different view of my songwriting,” he says. “I figured that I’ve done enough records where people know that I can do old-time material. I didn’t let myself be limited by that. There are some spots on this album that will be a surprise for people. I think it will take them into a very different headspace in terms of what they’d expect from me. But that’s also something I wanted to do. As an artist, you have to think, ‘What aren’t they going to expect?’”

Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Ted Hutt (Old Crow Medicine Show, Dropkick Murphys), Traveling Wildfire represents The American Songster’s journey for the past two decades and takes a deeper look at how those years changed his life. “One of the things that I’ve noticed since Black Cowboys is that people are wanting to hear more Black country music that reflects both their culture, environment, and values while still sounding like it’s rooted in tradition.” Take that journey with Dom Flemons on May 25, as he transforms Caffè Lena into a pastoral landscape of his musical explorations.

Stream this show live at Caffe Lena TV. Enjoy one week of access with your live stream ticket.